A science-based forest recovery framework developed after Super Typhoon Odette is now guiding restoration efforts beyond Palawan, following its pilot implementation at the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park.
Dr. Neil Aldrin Mallari, founder and chief scientist of the Center for Conservation Innovations (CCI), who led the post-disaster green assessment at the subterranean river park, said the Green Assessment and Recovery Framework (GARF) was created to address a major gap in disaster response, where damage to ecosystems is often overlooked in favor of infrastructure and economic losses.
“So sabi ko—bigla kong naisip—baka nga mas pwede kaming makatulong na ang additional ay yung pagtingin sa ecosystems,” Mallari said.
That focus led to a province-wide assessment that measured the scale of forest damage caused by Odette.
The results showed that nearly 60% of forest cover in central to northern Palawan was damaged, equivalent to about 125,000 hectares.
Within the subterranean park itself, around 9,000 hectares of forest were affected.
“About 58% of the park’s forest was damaged. That is a huge impact, but it also tells us something important. Those forests absorbed much of the force of the typhoon and helped protect people,” he said.
To better understand the scale of the event, the team compared Odette with previous storms. Mallari noted that while Odette was slightly weaker than super typhoon Yolanda, it made a direct hit across the middle of Palawan, an occurrence he described as rare in living memory.
“Nung pini-present namin, pinag-uusapan yung mga resulta nung ginawa naming green assessment, ay na-realize namin, oo nga, mababa yung casualties natin sa Palawan dahil 125,000 hectares ng gubat ang nagsakripisyo para sa atin,” Mallari said.
From these findings, the team developed the GARF, using satellite data, field surveys, and biodiversity indicators.
Rather than relying on mass tree planting, the approach prioritizes assisted natural regeneration, protection of remaining forests, and restoration guided by ecological science.
Those principles have since been adopted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as a reference for restoration planning in other regions, a development Mallari described as a direct outcome of lessons drawn from Puerto Princesa, San Vicente, and Roxas.
At the center of that effort, he noted, was the subterranean park itself, which served as the pilot site where assessment results were immediately translated into restoration work.
Beyond the Philippines, the framework has also drawn international attention. Mallari said agencies such as the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) took note of the approach because there is still no global standard for assessing biodiversity and ecosystem damage after climate-induced disasters.
“Ang UNDRR, yung UN system na tumitingin sa issue ng climate change at disaster. Na-realize nila na walang standard way of assessing damage to biodiversity and ecosystem pagkatapos ng climate-induced disasters,” Mallari said.
In contrast, he said, the Palawan model already connects assessment directly to on-the-ground restoration.
The framework also departs from traditional, cost-heavy tree-planting programs.
Mallari pointed out that restoring forests damaged by Odette through conventional methods would require several times more funding than the ₱1.2-billion Green Recovery Program planned over 10 years, which relies on assisted natural regeneration and targeted restoration.
“Kung i-convert mo yung 125,000 hectares na nasira, planting materials pa lang yan ay aabot ng higit ₱12 billion. Pero yung Green Recovery Program, ₱1.2 billion lang for the first 10 years,” Mallari said.
Mallari also said that the damage caused by Odette weakened the province’s ability to absorb heavy rainfall, helping explain the flooding seen during subsequent weather disturbances.
The program, he added, is intended as a long-term investment to rebuild forest resilience so ecosystems can again regulate water, stabilize soil, and moderate temperatures.
“If nature is not okay, we will not be okay,” Mallari said.
